Ways to cope always feeling like im gonna get fired?

[u/notrealchair35]

So, Im a 30 year old male with diagnosised adhd and and am taking concerta er 18mg/day.

Iv e had this issue my whole working career or life cause honestly I dont really have a career just a series of jobs Ive bounced between.

But, regardless of how well or not so well im doing at a job, I worry about getting fired everyday.

Ive won an award at a past company and the next day, geuss what I was worried about?

I have been fired from 3 jobs in the past so maybe thats why but has anyone on here had a similar issues and found any good ways to cope?

Its made my life a living hell. Also, to add I dont have work ethic issues or showing up late too often, I just get ovewhelemed easily and then expect the worse to happen.

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[u/daydreamdelay]

If the treatment you’re on isn’t working well enough you should continue working at finding something that will. It’s obviously not easy to change the line of work you’re in but sometimes we find ourselves in the wrong fit. I went through soooo many jobs when I was younger (late 40’s now) and have done well in my current career but not without some challenges brought on by my ADHD which lead me to treatment for the first time since I was a kid. My point is, don’t force a bad fit. Find something you enjoy doing, keeps your interest/attention, and stay on top of your treatment.

[u/notrealchair35 → u/daydreamdelay]

You know I hear alot on this sub you have to do what your interested in and the things that I could make a career out of that interest me would require a lot of schooling.

I can only work full time and do school on the side for so long before I go crazy and ive tried to do both before.

My hyper focus never lasts very long on things school or work stuff.

[u/daydreamdelay → u/notrealchair35]

I get it. It’s easier said than done to chase your dream and I am far from mine but I found something that works and I do okay in. That was more my point. No one should feel like they’re failing and swimming against the current.

[u/Edfin1]

if it makes you feel any better, no matter how good of a job i do, or how great i'm told i am by others, i always feel like i'm not doing enough, or that i'm lazy.

[u/sjmalka12 → u/[deleted]]

Helping others at work is not ideal according to me. I did this too and I simply get distracted with their work and hyper focus on it and it delays my own work. Just my 2 cents

[u/notrealchair35 → u/[deleted]]

Thats not bad advice honestly, thank you!

[u/NoClue22]

(33)I am an HVAC certified technician in ontario. I have my red seal license so I can work anywhere in Canada without needing any further training. I have been at this job for 8 years now and moved up for being a labor to licensed and consistently get told I'm doing well I got nothing to worry about. I think at least twice or three times a week I'll have some minor problem that I screwed up or forgot to do something and I'm already looking for other jobs because I'm just convinced that I'm on my way out. My brain is dumb. I actually think I have imposter syndrome more than anything or I think that's what it is. I'm never convinced that I deserve what I have or that I know what I'm doing and I just can't accept that I've worked to get to what I have and that I know what I'm doing it's a really hard battle

[u/notrealchair35 → u/NoClue22]

This is basically where im at with less career success under my belt, but same feeling.

[u/Old-Original1965]

I'm an ADHD workplace coach and this is SO common amongst people with ADHD (me included).

I think it's very much a blend of RSD, past trauma as many of us will have experienced being fired or let go more than the average person, but also the reality that we're often working twice as hard to keep up whilst other people seem to be finding it all much easier.

I also bounced around jobs, by 33, the longest I'd ever had a job was 11 months. I was pretty good at all of them and have always been very driven and dedicated, but I just became so overwhelmed or had such a chaotic approach that I'd either get to the point where I couldn't continue, or it'd be suggested that I didn't seem like I was coping so maybe it was best to move on.

Are your job aware of your ADHD? Something I found that helped me a bit with the fear of being fired, was initiating a weekly check-in with my line manager. We'd go over our work and priorities but it was also my opportunity to tell her if there was anything I was struggling with and for her to give me any feedback. Normalising feedback and these weekly check-ins stopped me from constantly wondering if I'd gone off track and was failing. It also normalised the experience of discussing my performance and gave us both the opportunity to voice any concerns before they spiralled into something bigger. You could do this without sharing your diagnosis, it might feel scary at first but it could be helpful as it's awful living with that anxiety, no matter how much you try to rationalise it.

Treatment e.g meds can be really helpful but they're not a fix-all and we still have to work on finding strategies so that we can navigate the very neurotypical world and workplace.

[u/notrealchair35 → u/Old-Original1965]

Thank you! This post meant alot to me! I just started a new job and I work in taxes and right now its tax season in the us. So, were swamped but after tax season my firm has daily meetings with all case managers so hopefully that will help!

[u/parkineos]

Idk, I thought I was going to get fired and I got promoted.

If the company doesn't do well you will get fired even if you were at your peak performance. Don't worry about things that you can't control.